Deeper In Love
by Gracielinn
Summary: "Time goes by slower when you miss the one you love" - Unknown Author. Speculation fic about Wyatt and Lucy's experiences during their forced separation. Contains spoilers for season two premiere, including material from promos, first looks, sneak peeks, and cast interviews.
1. Chapter 1

Deeper In Love

Chapter One (Wyatt)

" _I fell in love with her when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the days we were apart..." - Nicholas Sparks_

Six weeks...

Forty-two days...

One thousand and eight hours...

Sixty thousand, four hundred eighty minutes...

And that's where Wyatt stopped and closed the calculator on his phone because just acknowledging how many _seconds_ it had been since he had last seen Lucy made his heart hurt with an almost physical intensity ( _three million and something now? That can't be right_ ).

Every night in the six weeks since they had taken refuge in the long abandoned underground silo, when sheer exhaustion nearly brought him to his knees and his weary brain would flat out refuse to cooperate any further, Wyatt would finally fall onto his cot in hopes of even a couple hours of sleep, the smallest of respites from his new messed-up reality. To be fair, he was sharing that same reality with everyone else in their ragtag little band of rebels–Rufus, Jiya, Denise Christopher, Connor Mason, and they were all struggling. (Although it had been kind of amusing when Rufus declared on the second day that living in their new hideout felt like getting dumped off at some kind of bizarre survivalist summer camp.)

Sure, the bunker was safe, but as each tedious day blurred into the next, Wyatt thought he might be losing his mind, mostly from worrying about Lucy, although the unrelenting monotony of their new daily routine was beginning to wear on him as well. The first week after the team went into hiding wasn't quite as bad as those that followed because they were all focusing on getting the lifeboat up and running, in addition to finding Lucy. Rufus, Jiya, and Connor worked practically non stop on repairing the important computer and electrical stuff as quickly as possible, while Wyatt occupied himself with the physical logistics of setting up their new headquarters as well as volunteering his modest cooking skills on most days.

When she and Wyatt weren't working on mission strategies or tirelessly analyzing intel on Rittenhouse, an extremely cautious Agent Christopher came and went at varying times daily, their little group's one link to the outside world aside from their burner phones and laptops. Even so, it felt like the majority of each day had little real purpose. For a guy in his line of work, not to mention his personality, this much inactivity was a hellish form of torture. Staying busy was the only way Wyatt could even attempt to cope with his strong emotions–which were all over the place-and even then, it was difficult to concentrate on much beyond this forced separation from Lucy and his increasing desperation to get her back.

Every day that passed without any new information on Lucy's whereabouts was more disheartening than the one before. Loathe to utter the words out loud, in his darkest moods, Wyatt secretly worried that if it seemed as if Lucy had literally disappeared from the planet, it was likely that she had–traveling through time on the mother ship with her mother and Emma–and definitely against her will. No way would the Lucy Preston he knew ( _and loved_ ) be a willing participant in whatever twisted power play Rittenhouse was planning.

During his deepest moments of despair, Wyatt would remind himself that Lucy was crazy smart, brave, capable, and most of all, strong. God, she was so much stronger than he was. And he absolutely refused to consider even the slightest possibility that she was no longer alive because he had zero interest in living in a world without her.

He cursed himself a thousand times over for letting her walk away from him the last time he saw her. Lucy felt so right tucked in his arms, close enough to feel her heart beat against his, the sweet fragrance of her soft hair tickling his chin. She had looked tentative, but so hopeful at his confession about 'possibilities' and Wyatt sorely regretted his failure to kiss her before Connor's untimely interruption. He was acutely aware that a rare, undeserved second chance at love and happiness was within his reach, and he swore this time, with this woman, that it wouldn't be wasted.

And so, the endless hours passed at a depressingly glacial pace. He began to use a set of weights that had mysteriously appeared on his cot one day soon after their arrival, trying to pass the time in strenuous, mindless daily workouts. " _It was ironic that he was probably in the best shape of his life, yet what good was that when he was trapped like a caged animal_ ," Wyatt thought ruefully.

In spite of their careful efforts to hide it, he wasn't unaware of the subtle looks from the others, all of them seemingly holding their collective breaths in uneasy anticipation of Wyatt suddenly losing his shit. There was apparently an unspoken agreement between them to not talk about Lucy unless he initiated the conversation first, probably in an effort to keep him calm. Turned out to be a wise decision, because while Wyatt did his level best to keep his temper under control, there might have been more than one occasion when his fear and frustration threatened to overwhelm him to the point where he felt like punching the nearest wall.

And as much as Wyatt cared for Rufus and Jiya, he fought every single night to suppress his natural envy that they usually slept entwined on a single cot, lucky enough to have each other to turn to for comfort. The very first night in their new 'home,' when he crept into the sleeping quarters and saw them together, with Rufus curled protectively around Jiya, Wyatt felt such an irrational bitterness rise up in his chest it nearly took his breath.

Of course, he certainly didn't begrudge his friends their happiness with each other despite the circumstances they all found themselves in (he wasn't a heartless asshole), but God dammit, it wasn't fair. Hadn't he paid the price over and over for his countless sins when Jess had been brutally taken away from him more than six years ago? Wyatt had loved his wife, missed her so badly that it had taken most of the miserable time he endured since then to move past the guilt and anguish, at least until the fateful day he met a certain history professor.

And what about Lucy? Practically everything she held dear had been ripped away since this whole time travel, mind fuck of a circus began: her beloved little sister, the father who raised her (was his name Henry?), the career that she had devoted many years to, and of course, her true mother. Wyatt absolutely did not consider the Carol Preston who was currently running the Rittenhouse world domination road show to be Lucy's mother, and he was pretty sure she didn't either.

To come so tantalizingly close to erasing the increasingly threadbare line between teammates at first and then friends and something more, something deeper, sweeter, and then be denied was growing more painful to live with every day. Terrified for her safety, Lucy's absence was a constant weight on his soul.

Thank God for Jiya. After the second time that Wyatt went one on one with a wall, she quietly sought him out, first aid kit in hand. Embarrassed at losing his temper, he had gruffly tried to refuse her offer to bandage his hand, but rolling her eyes in silence, she merely plopped down on the cot beside him and waited patiently until he grudgingly acquiesced. Watching intently as Jiya very carefully cleaned and wrapped his bleeding, scraped-up knuckles, Wyatt told her fondly, "You're as stubborn as she is, you know that?"

Grinning up at him, she quipped, "Hey, I'll take that as a compliment. Besides, I don't want her kicking my ass when she comes back because I wasn't taking very good care of her boyfriend," and he was helpless to stop the blush that slowly spread across his face, much to her unmistakable delight.

Clearing his throat, Wyatt gravely thanked Jiya for being their friend. She casually shrugged away his thanks, and as she began to re-pack the first aid kit, he asked impulsively, "Hey, Jiya, you ever hear the story of the first time I met Lucy?"

Her dark eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "No, but I'd love to, that is, if you're okay telling me." And in that moment, Wyatt realized maybe it would be good for him to talk about Lucy once in a while. After all, the others loved and missed her too...

 _Flashback_

Although he was pretending to be asleep, Wyatt had been very aware when a young woman around his age had been unceremoniously ushered into the lounge and quickly abandoned. He'd been vaguely amused by the barely audible huff of annoyance that escaped her, and could feel her speculative glance. Willing himself to absolute stillness but for the rise and fall of his chest, Wyatt waited patiently–for what, exactly, he wasn't sure–and a heartbeat later, there it was:

" _Are you asleep?_ " the woman whispered hesitantly in a soft voice.

Without opening his eyes, Wyatt responded quietly, " _No, Ma'am,_ " and could tell by her faint sniff that she wasn't overly thrilled by his brief, succinct answer. Smirking inwardly, he realized, somewhat surprisingly, that he might actually be starting to enjoy himself. The fact that he'd been assigned here at Mason Industries meant it was probably official government business requiring a military presence, although he had no idea why. Wyatt had learned early on that it was no use to question the military, which usually tended to take its own sweet time, no matter how dire the situation. Far easier to be patient than get all worked up. He could almost feel her agitation and frustration grow, however, with each passing second. Sure enough, just a moment later, she asked him another question, and when he calmly answered, " _No idea, Ma'am_ ", then the sparks began to fly.

She inhaled sharply in displeasure before rebuking him, " _You know, we're pretty much the same age, so you can stop calling me Ma'am_."

Well, hell, now he just _had_ to get a good look at her, and upon opening his eyes, Wyatt had to admit, the mystery female did not disappoint. Of average height, slender but nicely curved, she had dark wavy hair and big brown eyes that were currently shooting daggers at him. He truly couldn't help the half smirk that curled his mouth (not that he put much effort into it) when she pressed her soft pink lips together in disapproval. She was very pretty, he decided, but probably a little too high maintenance for his taste.

Looking back now, it was patently obvious that something about Lucy Preston had intrigued him from the very minute he laid eyes on her...

 _End Flashback_

After his voice dwindled away, Jiya had merely patted his bandaged hand gently, her eyes gleaming sympathetically, and without a word, left him to his thoughts. The very next day, Wyatt had been surprised and pathetically grateful when she texted him several pictures. A few were posed, but most were candids of the trio taken over the past year, even one of a pensive Lucy, deep in thought in front of a computer. His favorite, though, hands down, was a picture somehow snapped without their knowledge. He and Lucy were sitting close together on a sofa in one of the lounges, gazing at each other, and when viewed from a purely objective point of view, the sweet intimacy of their body language alone was a dead giveaway. Not only were they gazing into each other's eyes wearing big smiles, their bodies were tellingly curved toward each other, and Lucy's hand was casually resting on his thigh.

As soon as he stretched out on his cot each night after lights out, Wyatt curled towards the wall away from the others and thumbed through the pictures over and over. It was the one bright spot in his day, and soon became the only way he was able to fall asleep. It took a little while, but eventually, he could feel himself relax, usually for the first time all day. After silently promising the picture of Lucy that he'd never give up, and he _would_ find her, Wyatt would finally close his eyes, and purposefully recall as many memories of her as possible before drifting off in uneasy slumber, in the unlikely event he might dream of her. It hadn't happened yet, but the fragile hope still residing in his soul had thus far stubbornly refused to be extinguished.

During lingering periods of painful self examination, it slowly dawned on Wyatt that all the cold, empty spaces in his heart he thought were beyond salvaging were gradually being filled in by his growing feelings for Lucy. It sounded like the biggest cliche, he knew, but loving Lucy made him want to be a better man.

There were so many little things he missed about her–the scent of the soft floral perfume she always wore, the adorable way her elegant dark brows drew together when she frowned in disagreement with him, those enthusiastic, one-of-a-kind Lucy Preston hugs. Naturally, he was very attracted to her physical appearance, but even more engaging was the fact that she was one of the finest individuals he'd ever met, man or woman. Her sharp intelligence, honesty, compassion, and innate goodness had been evident to him from the very beginning.

Feeling particularly restless this evening, Wyatt began to flip through his mental 'rolodex' of Lucy memories, hoping to sooth the rough edges of his near constant anxiety enough to fall asleep. Luckily, after spending nearly every day together over the last year, there were many to choose from. He could feel himself grow calmer as images of Lucy began to flood his mind...

 _Lucy rushing into his arms after Harry Houdini unlocked the door to the room at the murder castle..._

 _Her stubborn refusal to leave his crazy, mixed-up ass at the Alamo, and then once they returned, the determined way she and Rufus had put the jerk from Homeland Security in his place and saved his spot on the team..._

 _The fierce set down she'd given him during the jump to 1754 when the team had been stranded and he'd been acting like an asshat..._

 _The wide-eyed expression she wore while hanging on his every word in 1944 Germany as he tried to talk her "over the hump"..._

 _And saving the best for last, his very favorite memory of Lucy: their first kiss...unexpected, intense, an impulsive gesture meant to fool Bonnie and Clyde, but oh so real, no matter what he had unconvincingly told himself (and her)..._

Once his mind was finally at peace enough to sleep, Wyatt drifted away, unaware of neither the slight smile that gently curved his lips or the single tear that slid from the corner of one eye.

Alas, his fervent wish for a pleasant dream of Lucy backfired spectacularly in the form of a frightening, soul-wrenching nightmare in which she was in mortal danger, crying out for him to save her. He woke early the next morning with her name on his lips. And the day just went steadily downhill from there.

One lovely feature of the silo was its numerous open areas in lieu of rooms with actual doors. After listlessly pulling his clothes on, Wyatt was making his way down the shadowed, curving hallway when he heard his name. He honestly didn't mean to eavesdrop, but coming to a sudden halt just outside the kitchen area, he could plainly hear Rufus and Jiya quietly discussing Lucy and the depressing lack of information uncovered by the covert NSA team Agent Christopher had hand picked strictly for this assignment.

" _Rufus, I'm worried about Wyatt. He's trying so hard to have faith, to believe in the system, and yet, here we are, six weeks later, all of us crammed into this creepy underground commune, no idea what Rittenhouse is up to, and still no news of Lucy. I don't know how much more he can take, poor guy_."

" _Well, according to the last encrypted email we received from Agent Christopher, the NSA has come up with jack squat in the way of information on Lucy."_

" _I hate to say it, but it's hard to believe with all the technology at their disposal, there's not a single scrap of evidence after six weeks that Lucy is even alive. And if that thought devastates me, what will it do to Wyatt?"_

" _Honestly, I'm surprised that with the lack of progress by the NSA, Wyatt hasn't already tried to go AWOL, so to speak, and find Lucy on his own."_

" _Yeah, that's not likely since all the doors are locked from the outside. How does he not know that?"_

" _Because Agent Christopher knows Wyatt well enough to assume that eventually, he will just walk out of here and take his chances if he gets desperate enough. One good piece of news is that the lifeboat should be about ready to go as soon as Connor finishes that last set of calculations and after we double check the time dilation equations against the mother board, but of course, we can't take her out without permission...oh, shit..."_

Jiya stared at Rufus in confusion as his voice trailed off before turning around to see Wyatt standing a few feet away. A small part of his mind could appreciate the guilty expressions his friends were wearing, but that was getting rapidly swallowed up by a growing wave of anger. Not trusting himself to even speak at this point, he pivoted abruptly and hurried to the closest door. Grabbing a power saw and welder's safety mask lying on the floor, Wyatt began desperately trying, with no success, to cut through the apparently locked steel door. He ignored Rufus yelling at him until the other man cut the power to the saw.

Whirling around, Wyatt began to argue with his friend when the steel door opened suddenly to reveal Agent Christopher. In spite of his vehement protests, she was adamant that he was not allowed to leave. Sick with fear for Lucy and furious at being thwarted, everything Wyatt had kept bottled up inside began to bubble up, eager to erupt. Unwilling to validate the others' concerns about his temper, he practically sprinted to a large open area at the other end of the silo. After spending a good bit of time just pacing back and forth, Wyatt dropped to the floor and began doing pushups, before flipping over and racing through countless sit ups, only stopping when his muscles began to quiver painfully from his angry exertions. Pulling his knees up under his chin, his chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiya standing there, gazing at him uncertainly.

"Wyatt?" she asked cautiously. "Are you alright?"

Taking a deep breath, he wiped his forehead before answering hoarsely, "No, but I will be." Getting to his feet carefully, Wyatt stumbled past a clearly worried Jiya and headed for the shower room. The nearly scalding water was starting to run cool by the time he finished. Slowly walking over to the sinks, he gazed despondently at his reflection, willing himself to keep it together, for Lucy, for their future. They were close now, he had heard Rufus say so earlier, and Wyatt needed to be ready at a second's notice. Lucy was alive, he knew it in his heart, and she'd be counting on him to find her, and he'd be damned if he would let her down.

" _Staying separate from those we love hurts" - Jodi Aman_

 _A/N: After finding out from a spoiler that shortly after the premiere episode opens, the time line quickly jumps forward six weeks, the idea for this popped into my head-what did Wyatt and Lucy experience, and how did they each endure, being kept apart for six weeks under these horrible circumstances? Next chapter will be from Lucy's POV. My sincere appreciation to all of you who read, favorite, follow, and especially take a minute to review my stories. Thanks :))_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two (Lucy)

" _At the end of the day, it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves." - Tabitha Suzuma_

" _Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it inflames the great." - Roger de Rabutin de Bussy_

Standing in front of the mirror, Lucy's hands trembled as she struggled to fasten the thin black tie around her neck. Her mother would be here soon to unlock the door of her hotel room, and likely displeased if Lucy wasn't ready. Gazing somberly at her reflection, her hands stilled as a wave of deja vu came over her–so pervasive it nearly made her dizzy. If she closed her eyes and concentrated hard enough, Lucy could almost imagine that instead of 2017, it was December of 1944. She and the team were holed up in a charming inn located in a remote village in Germany, collaborating with WWII spy and future James Bond author, Ian Fleming (of all people).

Even most of her attire was eerily similar to that mission: a white blouse, dull-colored uniform jacket, the black tie. The only real difference was her hair and makeup. Well, that, and of course, the absence of Wyatt Logan leaning on the arm of a chair gazing at her with calm blue eyes, patiently listening as she shared with him the details of her near death experience when she was twenty years old, something that she rarely had over the years. The 1944 mission had been the first one where Lucy felt like she and Wyatt were beginning to connect with each other.

She smiled wistfully even as fresh pain seared her heart that she'd inadvertently allowed the Wyatt 'compartment' to slip open. Early on in her captivity, she had decided that in order to preserve her sanity and cope with her frightening new reality, she would compartmentalize her feelings. She had neatly filed away just about every facet of her former life into little mental compartments for the time being, and naturally, Wyatt's was the largest and most important. She missed him so desperately, even more than her little sister, and did her best every day to bravely endure their forced separation. This was a task made all the more difficult by the fact that she had no idea where Wyatt and Rufus were at the present time.

Her eyes dropped unwillingly, almost compulsively, to the slightly dog-eared newspaper article lying on the dresser in front of her and the headline that had struck terror in her heart from the moment she'd first laid eyes on it six weeks ago.

" _Explosion at Mason Industries, 22 Presumed Dead..._ "

The blunt, bare-boned pronouncement still had the ability to thoroughly shake Lucy to her core. 22 Dead... 22 Dead... Just one number and one small word–yet together, evoked images powerful enough to threaten Lucy's increasingly tenuous grip on her true reality. While she hadn't made the acquaintance of many of the employees at the Mason facility (the government tended to keep a tight lid on covert operations such as honest-to-God time travel), there were a handful of people that Connor Mason trusted not to betray their secrets, and it broke her heart to think about who might have perished in the explosion.

Like Daniel and Trevor, the wardrobe guys who looked after their costumes so well, never complaining when Wyatt's were invariably returned bloody and nearly ruined; Vince, Connor's driver slash bodyguard, a big bear of a black man with a soft spot for the team; Mary Ann, the taciturn receptionist who guarded their privacy so faithfully. Lucy recalled seeing various other people constantly bustling around the platform before and after missions, but she'd yet been introduced to many of them ( _"and probably never would now,"_ her mind supplied regretfully).

And then there were the people she and Wyatt and Rufus had come to know _very_ well, members of the team's extended family: super smart and funny Jiya, by-the-book NSA Agent Denise Christopher, and Connor Mason himself. Jiya had, on more than one occasion, jokingly referred to the three of them as the "B" team. As painful as it was for her to contemplate the death of any or all three, that reflection paled in comparison to the sheer agony of possibly losing Wyatt and Rufus. Her teammates, her friends, and, yes, family, and in the case of a certain Master Sergeant, the other half of Lucy's heart.

Taking a deep breath, she braced her hands on the dresser and firmly reminded herself once again that there was no way in hell Wyatt was dead, despite Carol's confident claims to the contrary. Her mother seemed to take spiteful pleasure in reminding Lucy every so often that few remnants of her life from before remained, emphasizing in particular a certain Delta Force operative.

Lucy's lips twisted sardonically at the word 'mother.' She'd quickly discovered that this time line's version of Dr. Carol Preston was a soulless monster bent on destroying everything she didn't care for or approve of. And it was made abundantly clear to Lucy, as early as the first day of her captivity, the Rittenhouse matriarch absolutely did _not_ care for, or approve of, Master Sergeant Wyatt Logan, including any degree of influence he might have on her formerly dutiful daughter. _"Oh, Wyatt, you have no idea that the greatest threat to Rittenhouse and their evil plans is apparently your relationship with me, the long-lost Rittenhouse princess,"_ Lucy thought bitterly.

 _Flashback_

Unfortunately for Lucy, her mother had suspected (correctly, as it turned out) months before today that her only child might be developing strong feelings for a man the historian personally considered barely good enough to scrape mud from the bottom of Lucy's shoes. As early as the second day, Carol had begun an insidious effort to wrest Lucy not only physically away from Wyatt, but emotionally as well, beginning with the reintroduction of Noah into Lucy's life (such as it was, what with the whole being held against her will thing).

After letting Carol's bombshell revelations bounce around her confused mind for a couple seconds, Lucy had wordlessly turned and walked away from her, intent only on escape. Oddly enough, after getting as far as the front door, she really hadn't been all that surprised after pulling the door open to find the handsome doctor standing there. " _Well, damn, how did I not see that coming?"_ was her first thought, followed instantly by the realization that she might be in serious trouble here.

"Hello, Lucy _,"_ he said evenly, "How's my beautiful but unfaithful fiancé today? You know, even though all the warning signs were right there in front of me, I couldn't believe it. But then, I knew as soon as I saw you with _him_ , that he was the reason you dumped me."

In spite of an encroaching sense of the danger she was in, Lucy couldn't help rolling her eyes ( _C'mon, really? The jealous fake fianc_ _é_ _was Rittenhouse, too? This is like a cheesy, low-budget movie_ ) before attempting to duck past him. Whoops. Big-time wrong move on her part. Noah immediately grabbed her upper arm, aggressively squeezing her bicep to the point of pain. Seeing Lucy's involuntary wince, his eyes gleamed with malicious satisfaction when she began to struggle in vain to free herself. Leaning uncomfortably close to her, he sneered near her ear, "Well, well, aren't you just the little tigress. I bet your dumb grunt of a soldier thinks that's hot. _"_

The ugly smirk was soon knocked off his face by Lucy's angry response. "You're not even fit to breathe the same air as a real man like Wyatt Logan, _"_ she hissed defiantly, only to choke back a whimper when his iron grip on her arm tightened cruelly. Stubbornly holding back tears of pain and fear, Lucy was surprised to hear her mother's calm, patronizing voice.

"That's enough, Noah. No need to manhandle my daughter. I'm sure that once Lucy has a chance to digest all of the information, she will make the right choice. After all, it's not every day a person learns of their great destiny." Giving her arm one last vicious twist, Noah removed his hand, but not before running his finger down Lucy's cheek. She immediately recoiled from the intimate touch, pleased at the flash of anger in the doctor's eyes at her rejection. Staring up at him, Lucy wondered how she could have ever thought this man was attractive. His good looks were nothing more than a thin veneer over an ugly soul.

"Certainly, Dr. Preston," he smoothly replied. "Perhaps Lucy would like to go upstairs and freshen up before dinner," he suggested with a polite smile.

Lucy couldn't help the incredulous laugh that escaped when her mother nodded agreeably. "You're both crazy if you think I'm going to stay here and be a part of this insanity," and turned back toward the front door.

"Ah, ah, dear Lucy, not a good idea," Noah scolded lightly, pulling a gun from his jacket pocket and pointing it at her. Lucy's eyes widened in horrified disbelief before swinging her gaze to her mother, who merely shrugged unconcernedly.

"Come now, Lucy, don't be willfully obtuse." The older woman sighed. "In case you are deliberately trying to misunderstand what is happening here, you are with us now. There's a very bright future ahead of you, and I'm sure once you settle down and carefully consider everything, you will make the right choice." Ignoring the shocked expression on her daughter's face, Carol directed Noah to put away the gun before instructing Lucy to go upstairs.

 _End Flashback_

Even six weeks later, it was hard to believe everything that happened the first night. Lucy had fled up the steps, desperate to find a way out. Hurrying into her room, she slammed the door shut before locking it. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was getting light headed. Lucy had only one thought–Wyatt. She had to talk to Wyatt. He would come for her and keep her safe from all this madness. Frantically patting her pockets, Lucy's heart sank when she realized her phone was in her bag, which, unfortunately, was on the kitchen counter ( _God, this was turning into a real nightmare_ ).

Little did she know it was only the beginning. An hour or so passed before her mother knocked on the door to announce dinner was ready. Lucy ignored her and resumed pacing around the room. "Lucy, unlock the door and come downstairs," Carol ordered patiently. As she stood watching, Lucy could see the door knob turn slightly.

"Leave me alone! I'm not hungry," Lucy shouted at the door rather childishly.

Uneasy at the thought of another confrontation with her mother, she was vaguely relieved when Carol merely responded, "As you wish," before moving away from the door. Her relief was short-lived, however, since she was still basically trapped in this room, with no way to escape. Obviously the situation was less than ideal. Every time Lucy looked out her bedroom windows, which faced the street, she saw the same two nondescript dark sedans parked in front of the house. Apparently, her mother had called in reinforcements, likely supplied by Rittenhouse.

Over the course of the next few hours, Lucy fought to control her rising fear and panic. Not only that, she was well aware that by now, Wyatt must be frantic with worry at the lack of communication from her. She consoled herself that the others would look out for him, especially Jiya. Curling up on her bed fully clothed, an emotionally exhausted Lucy finally dozed off just before dawn. She woke unexpectedly at a knock on the door.

Trying to calm her racing heart, she looked over at the door and noticed something had been slid under it. Curious, Lucy climbed off the bed and bent down to see a newspaper. It had been opened and folded back to a specific article. As she began to scan the paper, Lucy gasped loudly in stunned confusion and dropped to her knees in front of the door. Her weary, already traumatized mind couldn't seem to comprehend what she was seeing. The headline on the paper read, "Explosion at Mason Industries, 22 Presumed Dead." The shock and pain at the news was so intense that Lucy's vision started to white out around the edges, and she began to hyperventilate.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, she heard Wyatt's deep voice in her head, as plainly as if he were right beside her. " _Easy there, Lucy, slow it down, just breathe._ " Her eyes filled with tears, so great was her longing for him at that moment. " _Hey, c'mon now, no tears. It's gonna be alright, just breathe. Can you do that for me, Professor?_ " She nodded involuntarily, and almost smiled at the absurd idea that she was responding to a voice in her head. But of course, this wasn't just any random voice–it was his.

Taking a deep, calming breath, at that moment, Lucy knew in her heart with absolute certainty that despite the ominous newspaper story, Wyatt wasn't dead. And if he survived, she would bet the others had also. After what he had gone through in Syria, there was no way in hell Wyatt would leave another team behind to perish. As ruthless as Rittenhouse could be, there was definitely the distinct possibility the team had gone into hiding. At that realization, a welcome feeling of peacefulness washed over her. Lucy hoped fervently that all of their little 'family' was safe for the time being.

Picking up the newspaper, she folded it carefully and sank down on the bed. Sighing deeply, Lucy asked herself what would Wyatt want her to do. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, she smiled in satisfaction as an idea came to her. Although it was unlikely now that Wyatt would be coming for her anytime soon, Lucy had no doubt whatsoever that he would eventually find her. So until then, she'd have to be brave and smart and resourceful. And what better way to take advantage of her precarious situation than to secretly gather evidence _on the inside_ against Rittenhouse?

Despite a certain danger involved, all she needed to do was be careful, stay strong, and somehow fool her mother. " _That was probably easier said than done,_ " Lucy thought uneasily. Okay, so it wasn't a perfect plan, but it was all she had-it would have to do. Rittenhouse had declared war on Lucy and her team, which meant she was a 'soldier in the field' now, so no freaking out, she told herself sternly. A pleased smile grew on her face as Wyatt's faint Texas drawl praised, " _That's my girl_." Well, maybe she wasn't technically his girl yet, but when this whole Rittenhouse 'world domination' deal was over, Lucy was damn sure going to remedy that.

And from that morning on, Lucy had done her very best to submerge herself as deeply as possible in her mother's (and father's) world without losing her very soul. It became the greatest acting performance of her life. It wasn't easy, and at times, her enforced isolation and feelings of doubt nearly overpowered her.

Like when during the evening of her first full day of imprisonment, her mother and Noah drugged Lucy while the Rittenhouse base of operations was moved to a new location. One minute, she was sitting at the dining room table, trying to absorb as much information as she could without raising any red flags when she felt a sharp sting on the back of her neck. The room instantly started spinning and her limbs grew heavy. Before she completely succumbed to the effects of the strong sedative, Lucy heard Carol tell her, "Please don't struggle, Lucy, remember it's all for the greater good."

When she came to, Lucy was lying on a bed in a strange room. " _How would Wyatt find her now?_ " she worried, before briefly giving in to fear and crying softly in despair. Seconds later, she was reassured by Wyatt's voice, _"Alright now, Professor, that's enough crying. Time to be brave and smart. I will find you, I promise, no matter where you are, just hang on."_ and she was immediately comforted and even more determined to see this through. Lucy was playing a very dangerous long game now, and not only was she fighting for her future with Wyatt, but for everyone else's as well.

Each day seemed to be more mentally exhausting than the one before. Lucy hadn't spent this much time with her mother since she was a small child. She smiled grimly to herself when Wyatt's voice helpfully pointed out that, technically, Lucy hadn't spent much time at all with this Carol Preston. The quick flash of pain at hearing his voice was always worth it, though, because it was her lifeline, the one thread tethering her to this bizarre new world she found herself in. Ironic, sure, but she merely shrugged and resolved to worry about her mental health once she and Wyatt were reunited–and they would be some day. She believed with her whole heart that he would never stop looking for her.

Dr. Preston was extremely intelligent, and certainly no one's fool, and it was necessary in the beginning for Lucy to call upon every dubious shred of acting ability she might possess. But as the days turned into weeks, her mother's inherent arrogance began to assert itself, and any suspicion she might harbor concerning Lucy's loyalties started to dissipate, exactly as Lucy had hoped. However, Carol's newly-earned trust in her only went so far. On the rare occasion that her mother left the house, Lucy was less than thrilled with her replacement guard–a bitter, often angry, certain doctor and ex-fiance. That was always a special treat.

Alternating between pressuring Lucy to 'take him back' and taking snide pot shots at his perceived rival, Wyatt, Noah was so tiresome to be around that she was actually glad when Carol returned. Go figure. His whining was really getting on her nerves, and it was the same old annoying refrain over and over...

" _I just don't understand you, Lucy. We are so amazing together, both smart, educated, attractive. Why are you being so difficult and selfish? It would be much easier for you to accept gracefully and embrace your heritage..."_

That was usually about the time Lucy would zone out and allow herself the joy of thinking of Wyatt and all the little things she missed about him–those intense blue eyes and shy dimples, his dry sense of humor, and most importantly, the way he always made her feel safe ( _and loved_ ). She never bothered to explain to Noah the whole 'I'm not your Lucy because of time travel' scenario, afraid of angering her mother and losing access to Rittenhouse secrets.

Lucy enjoyed a major breakthrough when Carol even began to include her in strategy sessions. She found and hoarded small scraps of paper on which to write down everything she was a witness to, in hopes of gathering enough evidence to ultimately destroy Rittenhouse. It had been an unpleasant surprise the first time Emma Whitmore showed up at the new base of operations. What a fool Garcia Flynn had been to retrieve Emma from 1882. Intent on his own agenda, he had blindly played right into their hands.

A couple weeks into her captivity, Lucy was forbidden to leave her room for most of a whole day. Pressing her ear to the door, Lucy thought she could hear the faint hum of several voices downstairs, and concluded something big must be happening. Fretting over the thought of missing out on some vital information, she paced around her room, hoping Carol trusted her enough by now to share. To her initial relief, the new plans were revealed to her that evening over dinner–and Lucy was stunned to learn of the truly despicable depths Rittenhouse was willing to go to achieve their 'vision' for the future.

Utilizing her formidable knowledge of history, her mother had carefully selected ten moments in time vulnerable to change. With no small amount of pride, she informed a dazed Lucy that soon, everything in the world would be as it should be. Sickened, she gazed at her mother in shock for a long moment before asking in a hoarse whisper, "And what is my role in all of this?"

She immediately regretted the question. The whole plan was so horrifying, so far reaching, that Lucy's resolve nearly faltered. As Carol began to list all the ambitious plans for the future, Wyatt's voice once more reminded her to stay focused and remember the mission. He was right. This was no time to panic, but an opportunity to accumulate as much damning information as she could. Wyatt, Rufus, Jiya, and the others were depending on her.

Taking Wyatt's words to heart, over the next month, Lucy perfected a bland, smiling expression that seemed to lull her mother into accepting her daughter's newfound allegiance to Rittenhouse while frantically gathering every scrap of intel she could. Finally, after six weeks had come and gone, Carol announced that all phases of the plan were near completion, and tomorrow, she and Lucy would accompany Emma on the mother ship to the last place and time in history necessary to finish it all.

When Lucy hesitantly asked when and where they were going, Carol had smiled condescendingly and advised her daughter to be patient. After a near sleepless night, Lucy woke to her mother entering her room with a long black garment bag and a shoe box. "Good morning, dear," Carol said pleasantly. "Hurry up now and get dressed, we've a very important day ahead of us." She had smiled weakly in response, her mind working furiously.

The minute she was alone, Lucy hastily unzipped the black bag. Examining the garments hung neatly within, she surmised they were circa 1918 or thereabouts, and she froze in dismay. That would be during WWI, around the time the United States sent masses of soldiers to Europe, mostly France and Germany. Lucy shuddered to think of traveling to an active war zone, but felt in some way that every day of the past six weeks she'd been kept a prisoner had been leading up to this.

Deep in her heart, she had hoped, for weeks now, that as brilliant as Rufus, Conner, and Jiya were, they had been able to not only fix the lifeboat somehow, but track the mother ship as well. This was it, then, for better or worse, the sign she had been subconsciously waiting for. Lucy was convinced that everything would come down to this jump, and she prayed for the strength to see her mission through to the very end. Wyatt would be counting on her, and if it was the very last thing Lucy ever did, she would not let him down.

" _We are never separated. Our hearts are connected with a threadless garland called love." - Debasish Mridha_

 _A/N: Whew! My goal was to finish this before the season two premiere-and I made it! (Barely, ha!) Very briefly, I want to note that Lucy hearing Wyatt's voice in her head is merely a coping mechanism for her, nothing more. Unlike Wyatt, who at least has a phone with pictures of Lucy on it, she has only her imagination to help her endure this traumatic period of time, and I say, 'whatever it takes' :)_

 _Next, a big ole shout out to quertygal for her help with this chapter-you're the best, my Timeless friend :))_

 _Finally, I want to thank my fellow authors who have provided me and other Timeless fans with countless hours of entertainment during the ridiculously LONG hiatus between season one and season two. I think we all helped each other get through a whole YEAR without our beloved time team. Here's looking forward to not only an amazing new season of Timeless, but LOTS of inspiration for new stories to enjoy. P.S. Thanks for your continued support over the past 9 months...I'm so proud to be a part of such a wonderful fandom :))_


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